Parts Shopping

Hmmmm, I've been using a lot of parts from scrap bikes on my projects. Partly because I like the idea of recycling, but also because I'm just not rich (ok, I'm cheap). I've welded nuts inside of old sockets to make stand-offs for mounting things. I've used old pieces of chain for hinges. I even used an old road bike to make a hitch-mounted bike carrier for my recumbent.

But there are somethings I decided to order new for the current trike I'm building. Instead of cleaning up scrapped bottom bracket shells and trying to find two that match to use as head tubes, I decided to order some from Nova Cycle Supply. While I was at it, I ordered one more to use as, get this, a bottom bracket shell! Nova has lots of braze-on items too, so a few cable stops were added to the order, since those are kind of difficult to cut off an old frame and mig weld onto a new one.

From JensonUSA.com, I ordered new cartridge bottom brackets (Shimano UN-26) to use as king pins. It's the same setup I used on the first trike, which seems to be holding up well. I like Jenson; their shipping is not too expensive, and they deliver within a week. Sometimes they have pretty good sales, too. Like the Pedro's rim tapes I added for $.59 each, or the Presta adapters for $.63. I ordered them on the 8th, and they were delivered today, on the 15th, right on time.

Also on the 8th, I ordered a pair of inexpensive Weinnman 406x19mm rims from BikePartsUSA.com. I wanted this particular size, since I won Schwalbe Durano tires and tubes as door prizes, and buying these rims to match was cheaper than buying new tires to match the other rims I had on hand. I told you already that I'm cheap. Their shipping is cheap enough - $8 compared to $22 at other sources websites. My total order came to $43, which is just over the cost of the next cheapest single rim I could find. I don't have great expectations for the cheap rims - reviews on them are mixed, but for what my application I think they'll be fine (non-drive wheels, no brakes, rather wide hubs).

Anyway, today I got an email that they have finally shipped my order today. A whole week to process my order? They must be one of those internet retailers that doesn't actually stock the parts they say they have in stock. They order them when you order them. That explains why they billed my credit card a week before they filled my order. That just irritates me.

Now, I know that Nova takes a little over a week to deliver, because I'm cheap and choose the cheapest ground shipping possible. Jenson takes 1 week to deliver, even on their cheapest shipping. After 8 orders, I'm really happy with them. They've become one of my two favorite places to go for parts and accessories shopping. The other favorite is Universal Cycles, mostly because they're - you guessed it - cheap, and because they have a store here in Portland with free shipping to the store. I like their website, too, because for each item of their huge inventory, they tell you how many are in stock, where, and how long it will take to bring them to the local store. I love Universal Cycles and Jenson for ordering parts and gear. I go straight to Nova Cycle Supply for frame parts.

Bike Parts USA? I don't know............

Robot Hand

This is the cool robot hand my 8 year old son built. He did 90% of the welding and cutting, and I just did the grinder part (because bad things can happen real fast on a grinder). He has been watching the whole time I built the bike and I decided that it was time for him to try out welding. We got the idea from Instruables, and scaled it down to his size. We spent a total of about 8 hours on it.

Mike's EZ-Tad

Wow! My friend Mike bought this cool EZ-Tad with an electric motor. What's even cooler is that he let me ride it. It was so fun. The seat is way comfortable, and the ride is great. The motor has some serious zip to it. I like how the thumb throttle gently applies as much torque as you want to help climb hills, or gives full-out speed for just being lazy. It would make a perfect commuter.

I stripped my own recumbent down to just a box of parts, and sanded the frame. Now I'm prepping it for paint, which is going very slow and tediously. Especially since I've only been able to get a few minutes here and there to work on it. At least it's moving ahead.

Jack

Spandex Optional

After being downtown during rush hour several times last week, I have a new appreciation for bike messengers who deal with crowded streets daily. They deserve to be recognized for their brave and outstanding accomplishments.

I came across this excellent alternative to the Tour de France, while I was surfing for useless stuff (ooops - I meant "researching a great problem"). Maybe each large metropolitan area should select two winners, then have them compete in a cross-region marathon with a shotgun start.

Jack

Sexy Trike

Well, it sure has been a while since I wrote about bikes. Gosh, it's been a while since I've written about anything. No apologies, just change.

Today I had the occasion to burn an hour or so in Portland, so my son and I stopped by Coventry Cycle Works and slobbered a little. The friendly staff showed him a folding bicycle, and let him sit in a few trikes. We found one trike we mutually admired, then pondered how much trouble we would be in if we slapped it on the credit card and brought it home. It's a gorgeous Sun EZ-3 USX for $1029. I quietly confided to my son that the seat was at least 10 times more comfortable than the one I made for my recumbent project. He started to grasp the dollar amount when I told him it costs as much as 100 Bionicles. He said he thought he had about $10 saved up.....

That started me thinking if I could justify buying one. Let's suppose I consume about 1.8 gallons of diamond dusted, gold filtered, platinum fortified gasoline driving to and from work each day. At the coming price of $4/gallon, that's $7.20 a day. If I were to ride the bike instead of driving twice a week, I would save $14.40 per week, or $748 per year, assuming I'd also ride it around town to save gas on those weeks when I skip work to do garage projects. At that rate it would take me about 15 months to pay it off, and I would be a healthier/happier Jack. Now, if I can just sell the idea to the other half of the voting members in my financial club (my wife).

Jack

Toolbox Cart

I made a little trolley to carry my toolbox around on. It gets a little heavy when it's loaded with all the essentials, and carrying it across the parking lot or around work can give a real bugger of a back ache. That's the problem with large top boxes - they almost carry too much.

Anyway, I used about 5 feet of 1x1x1/8" angle, and cut 45 deg corners to fit around the perimeter of my box. Then I welded each corner, and stuck on some old wheels I had lying around. To hook on a tow rope, I welded on a master chain link in it's 'open' position. Neato. Altogether it took about 3 hours to build including paint. Now when I need to haul my toolbox around, I'm ready to go mobile.

Jack

Arrrr!

My pirate name is:

Mad Jack Kidd

Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. Even though you're not always the traditional swaggering gallant, your steadiness and planning make you a fine, reliable pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Tac-100 Modification

Introducing the new and improved "TAC-100" overwater swim practice attack board - the perfect swim board for aspiring army kids.

My son, who really likes army stuff and has his own secret "army", needed a kick board for swim practice. I happily found a way to combine both of his loves, receiving my inspiration from the TAC-100 boards that the Navy Seals use in underwater combat missions. Of course, theirs are much more complex and have a depth meter and timers built in, but I don't think mine turned out half bad.

I started by ordering a plain black kick board, made of closed cell foam. The I found a small clip-on compass and removed the clip and eye from the ball. Using a small piece of sheet metal with a 1.25" hole punched in it as a template, I hollowed out a pocket for the compass to nest into then glued it in using black silicone RTV. He's thrilled with the finished product, and shows it off whenever he can.

Jack

Pachinko

I have triumphed. I have reached my self-appointed goal in life. And I did it with my son along to witness my greatest moment, my crossing the victory line under a freshly unfurled checkered flag. I am a great father, now.

This afternoon we rode our bikes around the block. I have to admit that it wasn't a purely recreational trip. OK, we were going to a garage sale on the back side of the block. Sometimes we just have to do these things. I mean, summer is almost over and we haven't put forth our best effort to procure unnecessary junk. He, of course, was looking for Legos, while I, being the older, wiser shopper was looking for treasures with a more immeasurable type of value. Things I might be able to identify as "cool stuff" when in the company of those who may be less appreciative of the finer things tucked away in the garage.

Today, I found it! The holy grail of garage sale finds! I am fulfilled in my most secretly kept desire, one in which I never expected to find balance. Yes, I bought a pachinko game!

And boy am I going to be in trouble when my wife sees it. It needs a lot of work, is missing most of the electronic parts, has spider webs on the inside and corrosion on the outside. I'm looking forward to spending some time tearing it apart, cleaning it up, replacing missing circuits, treating and painting the nasty parts and maybe building a new cabinet for it. The official license sticker is still located in the corner of the play board. How cool is that, honey?

Now I'll have to do some extensive research to find out what is missing and hopefully get a wiring diagram. I took 28 pictures of the insides, so I can put everything back the way it was. I can also compare mine with any pictures I (hopefully) find on the internet. Cool - a real life surfing project for all these rainy days - just what you were saying I needed, right Snookums? But this project has to wait until after the cabinets in the family room are done and the bike is painted, I promise.

Jack

Hangar Bike

Here are a few pictures of the QC bike from the hangar. I love the look and it rides like a whole new bike again.

Jack

Axim Fixed

It worked! With some help from a friend at work who repairs things like this, I was able to resolder the terminals from the connector to the motherboard. It powered right up when I tried, and later worked perfectly when I put it in the cradle to hot-sync and recharge. I'm so happy again.

Jack

Pain and Depression

My Axim has a booboo. The sync/charging connector on the bottom of it, is loose. I haven't decided if I want to try soldering it, replace the motherboard, or send it out for repair. I did find some great information on the Axim Users site, and mustered up the courage to take it apart. The connector is small, and the wires coming from the back are tiny. Soldering without destroying the whole thing would be a challenge. It would take a very sharp soldering iron. I need to confer with the experts on this one before I go any further. It's time to go upstairs.

Jack

Cleaning Up

My son barfed in the car on the way home from picking up my daughter at school today. He tried to get it out the window. I just finished cleaning up both sides of the door, the window, the seat, and the carpet. At least it didn't happen in front of the all the kids at school. He'd be an orphan. So, now he's watching a movie and getting ready to go to bed early. "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command." Whatever - he likes it.

I bought more wire for the welder today, so the great bicycle is rolling again. I got an 11 pound roll this time, since it was only a little more than the 2 pound roll. Cheaper in bulk, again, I guess. It was the same thing when I bought the argon bottle, so I have the big one. Now I'm all set for winter, which coincidently appears to be coming. It's been raining for about four days and the ten day forecast shows 4 different words for "rain". Sure beats 90 degree weather.

Jack

Bicycle Helmets

When I was a kid, we never wore bike helmets, and I don't ever remember seeing my friends wear them. After a couple of nasty head bumps in my youth you'd think I'd learn, but let's just say that there is only occasional evidence of lasting damage, and let's drop the subject. (Seriously, I've always wondered......)

Then I started thinking about when people started wearing bike helmets, and found a great article on the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute's website. I doubt if Amelia Earhart's helmet (pictured above) would have done much good in a crash, but it probably did a lot to keep a head warm in a cold airplane. Then I came across an interesting article by Susan Levine that really drives home the need for kids to wear bicycle helmets. (hmmmm, more reason to suspect lasting damage...)
If only I had worn a basket on my head with a pillow tucked inside like the sport ballooning pioneer, Auguste Piccard. There are always iron helmets, which I'm sure would protect my head in a hard crash on my recumbent, but what about protecting the rest of my body from the helmet? I suppose something very soft like a basket of fruit would provide some comfort, but the fruit flies would be bothersome on a warm day.

A fully enclosed helmet would provide lots of protection, but I hope the wearer of this helmet doesn't require much air. May be a fresh cactus smell would be nice. Just don't tip your head.

Jack

My Cat Ate Your Earphones

Well, the good news is - I fixed them.

The bad news is - My cat ate them after I was done.

I owe you a new pair. I'm so sorry.

She has ruined so many earphones by chewing on the cords....

Jack

Clown Bike Update

I finished replacing the drive gear on the clown bike. It goes a little faster than before, and I was able to fix the bad bearings in the crank while I had it apart, so the project was a success. I had to remove the chain guard, because it doesn't fit the new gear, and put a longer chain on which I had laying around from the $3 bike, I think. I rode it around the cul-de-sac a few times, and could almost keep up with my son on his bike. I'm not sure I like the sound of the rear spokes protesting my weight, though. Somehow I need to beef up the rear wheel before I attempt a ride around the block.

Jack

The Clown Bike

This is my Clown Bike. It was my son's first bike, but he outgrew it. We were going to give it to St. Vincent DePaul, but I noticed just how sturdy the thing really is, and decided to keep it for fun. I raised the seat, added real pedals, and tightened up the spokes a little, but it's stock the rest of the way. He always cracks up when I ride it - maybe because I'm not exactly a little guy myself.

The CG seems a little far back, but by the time you lean over to grab the handlebars between your knees, it's just about right. I just wish it would go a little faster (which was always his complaint, too - his legs just couldn't spin any quicker).

Enter the $3 garage sale bike! I've been wishing that I had a smaller front gear for my recumbent, to give a little lower gear for hill climbing, and was pondering my choices this evening. The current smallest gear is 39 teeth. I looked at the (36 tooth) gear from the $3 bike, and decided it wasn't small enough.

Then I noticed the Clown Bike has a much smaller gear (28 teeth). I did some measuring and found that the crank and gear from the $3 bike will fit the clown bike, giving it the much desired boost in speed (due to more chain being pushed for each turn of the pedals).

It also lets me use the 28 tooth "clown" gear for my recumbent - which is more what I had in mind. I'll have to do some modifying to assemble the gears into a triple pack, but it'll be worth it.
This will change my lowest gear-inch value from 36.2 to 26.0. This translates (at 80 pedal revolutions per minute) to a change from a low speed of 8.6mph to 6.2 mph. Nice.

I cut and bent a few tubes for the seat tonight. I'm kind of nervous about the seat, because it is such a prominent feature. I guess I should just relax, and take the attitude that if I don't like the way it feels, I can always replace it very easily later on, improving upon my first design. The important thing right now, is to have something to sit on so I can keep moving forward.

Jack

Things Kids Say

These are things my daughter has actually said after being in school for three weeks.

"That's my gym teacher over there."
"Oh really? What's her name?"
"I don't know. But she sure blows that whistle a lot."

"Nathaniel can't read."
"Who's Nathaniel?"
"He's the boy that sits next to me."
"You're in 4th grade - what makes you think he can't read?"
"Well, whenever we trade papers to grade our work, he marks all my answers wrong."
"Maybe you should work on your penmanship."
"No, boys just can't read."

"That's Peter over there." (pointing across the parking lot)
"Oh? Is that one of your friends?"
"Are you kidding? He ate two fortune cookies at lunch today, but he didn't take the fortunes out first!"

Jack

Welcome to Jack In The Garage!

This is where I’ll post things I’m building, or tinkering with. Just guy stuff. Maybe we can tell some garage level jokes, or things like that.

Why? Mostly because a guy needs a place to chat with other guys, and talk about guy stuff. Feel free to leave a comment if you have questions, comments, or just want to bs a little. And please share some garage jokes.

Jack